The present invention relates to a seating unit with laterally adjustable armrests and vertically adjustable back, each configured to facilitate assembly and for convenient adjustment, but with hidden components to enhance aesthetics. The present invention also relates to a seat construction with underseat structure that facilitates assembly while maintaining a sleek, low-profile appearance and curvilinear lines for aesthetics. However, the present inventive concepts are not believed to be limited to only armrests, backs, and seats.
Modern consumers desire aesthetically-designed, competitively-priced, comfortable chairs. However, in order to be comfortable, consumers want adjustability so that the chairs can be adjusted for personal preference and body shape. A dilemma is that adjustable features add components, durability issues, and cost. Armrests, backs, and seats of office chairs offer particularly difficult challenges, since they are in high visibility locations and require styling elegance. Preferably, adjustment mechanisms must be secure, easy and intuitive to adjust, and have a minimum of components, but also must be visually appealing.
Unfortunately, features intended to increase aesthetics can also add to the cost. For example, a chair designer may want a relatively thin seat profile (when viewed from a side position) that emphasizes contours in the seat, such as a curved front edge that cascades forwardly and downwardly to support a seated user's legs. However, the curved front edge forms a concavity under the seat support which requires special treatment in order to pull upholstery tight against the concavity and not let the upholstery merely bridge in a linear fashion across the area of the concavity.
Thus, a system having the aforementioned advantages and solving the aforementioned problems is desired.